Spot a single drone with today’s technology? Fairly straightforward. But when they swarm, coordinating moves in real time, traditional sensors get overwhelmed. It’s like trying to watch a school of fish through a keyhole. You see motion. But no patterns. 

The bigger picture is lost.

Take, for instance, the 2019 drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq oil facility. Despite billions spent on air defenses, the swarm slipped through undetected, exploiting gaps in sensor coverage and coordination. 

But what if security satellites were equipped not just with sensors, but with an ability to process, fuse, and analyze radar, optical, and RF data instantly, all while in orbit? No more waiting for raw data to trickle down to Earth for analysis. The satellite becomes the analyst, making real-time sense of complex scenarios, merging multiple sensor inputs into one clear, coordinated picture.

Patterns emerge. 

Context is revealed. 

Risks become visible. 

But more importantly, the response becomes manageable. Officials might have spotted the drones' coordinated flight paths early enough to trigger an effective response. 

Now, imagine where else that approach might apply. Everything from global supply chains to wildfire responses become viable candidates. 

Business leaders get early warnings. Firefighters gain critical lead time.

In fact, I remember back in March 2021, when the Suez Canal was blocked for six days after a container ship ran aground. That single event disrupted global trade, causing major delays for hundreds of ships, with estimated losses of up to $17 billion. The shipping company Maersk Line alone faced a loss of around $89 million. 

What might have happened if there had been real-time fusion of radar imaging, AIS signals, and port congestion indicators? What if operators had a live, evolving picture of the ripple effects, detailing which ships were affected, which ports would face overflow, and even highlighting alternate supply routes as the incident unfolded?

How much could have been saved?

Or… consider a tragedy closer to home: The Dixie Fire in my home state of California. 

Almost one million acres burned. More 1,300 structures, including homes and businesses, were reduced to rubble. It was the largest single wildfire in California's history. 

But again … what if first responders had been able to instantly combine orbital thermal data with hyper-local wind patterns and topographic models? What if satellites had projected spread zones hours before they were visible on the ground, giving emergency teams precious time to stage evacuations or deploy resources?

These ideas aren’t science fiction.

We have the technology to do this today. All we need is the will to start using the power of onboard processing in orbit to protect ourselves, and to start changing lives for the better.

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